The Runaway Highlander (The Highland Renegades Book 2) by R. L. Syme

Author:R. L. Syme [Syme, R. L.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2014-04-18T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“You’re nothing better than a common mercenary.”

Aedan rolled his eyes heavenward and secured the rope around her slight body and the sturdy tree. Double-knotted this time. “Actually, I prefer opportunist.”

“You may prefer whatever you please. It doesn’t change the fact that you plan to take money from my mother in exchange for kidnapping me.” Anne wriggled against the ropes, but made no progress. He pulled the knots again, just to be sure. She wouldn’t be going anywhere this time.

His shoulder twinged. All the struggling had aggravated his wound. He’d be lucky not to be bleeding.

“I prefer to think of it as returning lost property. You run away. I find you.”

Her laugh was short, pointed, like the cut of a sword. “You find me, I wound you, I escape.”

Pressing his lips together to avoid indecorous speech, Aedan leaned down so his face was mere inches from hers. “You escape, I find you.” He hardened his gaze. “I will always find you.”

The words hung between them in breathless silence. He wanted to do something to punctuate that promise, but the only thing that sprung to mind was kissing those back-talking lips of hers. That would be more than indecorous. Not to mention complicated.

Luxurious, he remembered. The speed of her tongue had to translate into some skill other than blathering. She was a magnificent kisser.

Though he had the wound to prove it, which would hopefully make him think twice the next time.

No, there would be no next time. He wouldn’t allow her close enough for next time.

“Surely you can’t mean to leave me tied like this all day.” Anne continued to struggle vainly against the bonds, but her shoulders thunked against the thick tree with each new thrust.

“We’re not staying here all day.” Aedan untied her horse and his and led them both down to the edge of the nearby river, where he anchored them with enough slack to have a good long drink before they traveled again.

“I only mean to rest here a moment. We will travel as soon as I am certain the bleeding has stopped.” Aedan rolled up his extra cloak and set it against a tree deeper into the little copse, then lay across the ground so he could see her, the horses, and the road, all in one glance. “You should sleep now, because you won’t be able to sleep in the saddle. I need to rest, of course, because someone stabbed me in the shoulder.”

She made a buzzing sound of protest with her lips, but did not speak.

Whether she waited for a better opening to escape or she really couldn’t sleep with a tree at her back, he didn’t know. Nor did he care. She’d called him a mercenary. And maybe he was one. But only for one woman and one situation.

Once he returned her to Berwick, his mercenary days were behind him for good.

Aedan’s dreams came rushing to his wakeful memory as soon as he opened his eyes. The sun was past its high point and one glance rested his nerves.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.